Nisus @ Coachella 09 Heineken Dome part 5/5 from Rich DDT on Vimeo.

Coming out of the burn is always difficult. The drive is like a slow fall through the atmosphere back to earth. Nexus does it right by creating a soft landing pad in Reno to catch the ashes. This year at the GSR resort again we muddied up their pool and had sex in the elevators, partys in the hallways and had the assistance of some S.W.A.T. style thugged out security guards in the club. We got kicked out for having a pool noodle fight. I know crazy huh? Overall its always weird to spend time in Reno. After the burn is no exception. Though it is made a bit less surreal having been in the desert for a week or more. D

It turned out that a crew of other Djs had the same idea and arrived at the same time. They were unloading the generator as we were unloading the sound system. It was clear that morphogenetic fields were at work and it was a natural solution to collaborate. When this kind of confluence occurs its a magical event that rings so loudly it resonates to the depths of our humanity. Its pretty much one of the best things that we can do as humans. Un-mediated collaboration, its what I live for as a DJ and a human being. Its impossible to plan this sort of thing. The planning itself destroys a little bit of the emergence of novelty. Novelty is so precious these days, its like cultural platinum.

So we set up, powered up the system and set to rocking the park. One major point among the Djs was how impressed we were with how well we all got along. Djs on a system could be like cats in a bag, except when they are all confident with their skills. Then its like a pride of lions chillin in the park getting each other’s backs and sessioning to attract the ears of the female lions What an amazing crew. Every single artist was able to keep up with the others and keep the whole place elevated. The energy just kept rising through out the day. The culmination for me was Dj Aspect’s set. Check out his Wandering Star remix. He was the only Dj not playing vinyl and unfortunately we couldn’t get Serato to work. It worked at OMGLOL!!! for Matt Heagen but not in Reno and not this time. But with no attitude he just blew it off and was was like “whateva it’s cool” He waits all day and goes on last at 7pm. He has one piece of vinyl and out of the crowd comes Kid Beyond beatboxing on the mic. What happens is truly the stuff of legend.

Everyone in the park had been listening to music all day and as the sun was setting the fog came rolling in over the hills. The steeple of church on the corner across from the park was the only thing tall enough to still catch the fading light of the descending sun. The people who gathered around the sound system were there because they refused to stop dancing until either the rapture or divine intervention drove them away. Aspect stepped up, introduced by Kid Beyond and proceeded to rip the park to pieces. They started doing a call a response with Beyond beatboxing a phrase and Aspect matching it with his hands. The beats were so good!!! Anyone left in the park came running over to see what was going on and to start cheering and dancing. The two of them just kept pushing each other to get more and more complex while sticking to super fresh rhythms. People were loosing it. I was losing it. Shit was manic. It was one of those rare moments that the trinity (DJ,audience,soundsystem) aligns and the event goes into space. And as always when we get that close something collapses. These two guys lost themselves in the performance and took us with them. But for whatever reason as has happened to me in the past on different systems, the sound system just stopped. It was like a hole was torn in heaven. The Bangalord was defeated and the people cried. Maybe the generator burped or someone tripped on the power, I don’t know. But it was an epic ending. We were done. There was nothing left to do at Dolores park that day. The party had been taken as far as we would be allowed to that day.

Sunday was a shinning example of why DJing is what I want to do with my life. All the suffering of poverty and ego death and hunger didn’t matter in that space. That was it. That is what needs to be done every time. Congratulations to everyone that got to experience it. Thanks to everyone that made it happen! Nisus

Why would I continue to subject myself to playing venues that are outside of my genre? Because they are outside of my genre, silly. And genres’ are silly. I really believe that great music is great music. DJing is all about exposing these great new sounds to people that wouldn’t have had a chance to hear them otherwise. Playing The Matrix was the most perfect example yet.

If you’ve never been to The Matrix, imagine a really modern space with a black gravel fireplace and huge floor to ceiling windows on the front. Its like an expensive living room that happens to have a bar. The DJ booth at the back is on a curved stage and really the Fung Shewweee is pretty good. Its got a nice vibe. Now take this nice feeling space and fill it with a truckload of Guidos from the shores of Jersey. Striped shirts with popped collars wrapping muscley dudes talking about their popped collars. I didn’t just make that up to be funny there really were dudes talking about their popped collars. Of course these guys wouldn’t be complete without model trophy plasticine used to be strippers to piss off their rich parents accessory girl versions of themselves, still following? En mass. My favorites were the super geeky ultra rich donkey lopers making out with the hottest girls in SF. The irony delighted me to no end. I really wanted to talk to the long haired kid in the T shirt and trench coat. He seemed wonderfully out of place. Actually I know now how it must feel to be on the outside looking in at Burning Man peeps. “Whoa weird people, where did they come from?” Its kinda like that. Totally surreal, its as if the TV had become a reality. The Matrix is a perfect name for this place. “In the Matrix some rules can be bent, others broken” And thats what happened.

I fired up the Bangalord and buttered out the bass. Threw Scott on the BBQ to test the waters and hide from any incoming just emptied cognac glasses. People started arriving and the place filled up. The energy rose and I could feel the bass reverberating the huge front windows. Pretty awesome, I really fucking love that system. I was watching the door to get a head count of the number of Vinnies that left. I think there were a few but it was hard to tell with all the people coming in who was leaving if anyone. Scott’s set crushed it, he has a great ear for music and the laptop saves his ass while mixing. After about an hour warm up and no Blues Brothers roadhouse broken bottles, I kicked the set into hyperspace and the crowd came with me. I was amazed that the place was congealing so well. The dance floor filled in and people at the bar turned to face me to watch the explosion of energy I was unleashing. Pretty stoked. This really was a text book example of what I try to do with my sound. I love to get people who have never heard this music to get on the train and smash down the walls that separate them from losing their shit on the dance floor.

As 2am rolled around I wanted nothing more than to keep barreling through banger after banger. The staff was stoked and as the last track faded people started applauding. I threw my hands in the air and yelled with them. This is how a night should be. In jaded SF where everyone has seen everything this felt like a proper good time. The bartenders told me that I was the only DJ they had ever seen receive applause at that place. That felt good.

When I returned the next day to collect my check and talk to the manager who was sick and had to leave that night. I asked him if the feed back was good. He paused and then half said, ” I heard it was loud” Did you get any noise complaints? “No” Huh? Well when do you want to do it again?…….”Uh well were pretty booked for the next few months and……….” I was dumbfounded, I just tore the fuck out of his little bar and he was blowing me off.. I don’t understand. Whats the problem? I left feeling sick and frustrated. What do I have to do around here? I play my fucking heart out and still get nothing? Typical. It turns out that he is a Dj trying to make a name for himself by booking himself. Whatever.. Enjoy your Stevie Wonder bitches.

The last time I played this track this is what happened. Awesome huh?

In an effort to stay busy and continue to find alternatives to the standard club scene, I played a set at the Diesel store on Polk today. As always, I enjoy playing daytime sets in these contexts. People are super stoked and are excited to see a DJ actually making it happen. Its great too because you feel the energy rise even though its a lot less than on the dance floor, of course but it happens. Best part, no requests for hip hop. I can just chill and tryout new tracks and enjoy my job. HA!!! I love it, “my job” = awesome!

Wow, what a fun night! This was for sure the best NYE I’ve had in forever. My best friends from around the country were there. New friends from around the bay were there. My goal of playing at this venue was met and I brought a lot of new music to people who were literally asking for Britney Spears. I explained to people that we were doing something a little different tonight. Playing an international set for an international venue. People seemed genuinely interested in the new sound and showed their love by bouncing all night long. At midnight I did a count down and dropped the Guns and Bombs remix of Gossip’s Yr Mangled Heart. The lyrics ” I don’t want the world, I just want what I deserve” echoed in 2008. This is gonna be an awesome year!

The path that led to the W has been the idea that money can be a huge insulating bubble for the people that have it. On my other blog I have written about the dynamics of experience using sound waves as a metaphor. Essentially  money is a mediating factor for the amplitude of experience. It can be used to amplify or dampen experiences. Often money insulates by convenience. Its convenient to spend money on mediated experiences rather than put the effort into self guided journeys which take time to invent and time to reflect on the lessons learned through the experience. Money can be used to enhance the journey as has been the case for Richard Branson. But for many people the price gets confused with the value of the experience. I call this the Salmon Polo theory. A $280 dollar salmon polo shirt is still kinda ugly even if it is expensive.

Djing is all about bringing good music to the surface. The scope of a Dj’s contribution to the art correlates to the depth of their musical awareness and their ability to string meaning through out a set of diverse but similar songs. The Audience is one third of the Holy Trinity of my job. Connecting with the audience at the W was a goal to “bridge the gap” or pop the bubble using music as a vehicle to connect with people who might otherwise be underexposed to the breadth of awesome new music in the world. They are also a key audience because of their potential planetary impact through the leverage of finance applied to the real world. A broader awareness is better. Knowledge of world beyond Britney Spears is crucial for everyone, especially those who have the capital to make changes in areas where capital can help. This is basically what led me intuitively toward playing at the W. Music is the source of my inspiration and the path I am following. Hopefully, doing no harm and just by my presence changing the context of the scene. Thanks to everyone who came out to make this one of my best nights so far. I look forward to so many more. Apologies to anyone who couldn’t afford the door price. This is the nature of what I do. I hope you understand and know that the next set I play I’m playing for you guys. D

For so long now we have been attempting to tell ourselves that this visible world is the only reality while our intuition tells us otherwise. This has become very apparent when Djing. When I play I am not there to have the audience listen with their ears. It really doesn’t matter what records I play, it matters what is contained within those records. The metadata is the sound within. The way I pick records is to listen to the metadata. Its a form of meditation. I listen with my soul instead of my ears. The records that resonate with my soul are expressions of my current embodiment. In building a set I try to put together a harmonic resonance that builds a reflection of that vision within me of my highest self. This is makes me a unique Dj. Its the same thing that famous jazz musicians and painters know. Its a universal understanding among artists who are able to set aside the personality ego and flow the light they find in themselves through the expression of their art. The production of this in the tangible world functions as a mirror and reminds everyone that views it of their own internal resonance. This is what is revolutionary about playing music. If people quit doing the machine world’s work and followed their own internal compass, the power would be reclaimed and the world elevated. Obviously the process is more complex than quitting your job and watching TV all day. Here is why I feel that it is so important to be Djing though. As a reminder. If I can lose myself in the process of becoming and people can see me do that they will remember within themselves their purpose. To live and grow and love and evolve. The rest is just icing. As we get older we learn that we can’t live on icing.

The word was that the festival had sold out. Max capacity was 3000 people. Awesome. My set was at 2:30 in the morning, right after Mozaic and right before Little John. Perfect. I love those guys. I felt like I was surrounded by my real peers. People worthy of looking towards in the Dj world. The Forest stage was decorated like a Ministry set with bones and feathers and hubcaps and stuff. It made me think of the commentary on Team America DVD talking about cheese graters used as lamp shades on the set. It was epic but still understates the impact. The photos help. This was my second chance to play on Christian’s Turbosound system. Again this system is destined to be legendary. I would hype this system as though it was the most popular Dj on the West coast. Because it is the wickedest earth thumping Bangalord shell I have ever encountered. Yet its forgiving and its teeth are not too sharp. Its like an old wise Bantha. It knows what our ears need and what the DJ wants. And when the bass hits its like ninjas dropped from the trees and kicked you in the chest.

I played as intensely as ever running through the cuts that would honor the gravity of this system. Armored in an Aaron Amaro designed shirt and a Forest Sterns custom helmet I was safe to summon the Bangalord. And by the third track I did. I love Djing. There are times when it makes me cry. I love losing myself in the music and bringing people along for the ride. My evolution on this planet is intertwined with Djing. I feel so fortunate to have found a path that moves me towards my goal of becoming the best human I can be. Although I didnt make the music I am playing I recognize that humanity is unified and I really appreciate the opportunity to take my place in that unity. Its an honor to play other peoples tracks. It makes me feel less alone. I am also finding that a single similar interest often leads to a multitude of similar interests shared with the producers of the music I play. Production for me is about contributing back to the people who have given me so much. Before I knew it Little John was on stage getting ready for his set and two hours had gone by. See you next time around. D